Working for an oil company isn’t easy. However, after 10 years in the field, you’ve become used to the injury risks, the long hours, the exhausting responsibilities, and even the mandatory overtime. Unfortunately, the one thing that you haven’t become used to is the consistent errors in your paychecks.

Every payday you hope to open your check and see the correct number of hours you worked, along with the correct pay. Despite your hopes, this is never the case. Although you’re usually paid the correct amount for your normal work hours (40 per week), your overtime pay is another story. Sometimes your OT is off by six or seven hours, while other times, 20 or more hours are missing—either way, it’s always off.

Although you’ve repeatedly complained to your supervisor and your boss, you and your fellow colleagues are consistently getting bamboozled out of thousands of dollars of pay every month. The worst part is that this seems to be happening all across the oil and gas community. You’ve heard rumor upon rumor of how this company is denying OT, and that the company keeps miscalculating pay. How can this be such a widespread problem with no one paying attention?

Shouldn’t labor laws prevent this kind of thing? Are these companies being monitored for violations? What can you do to ensure that you’ll get paid the overtime wages you deserve?

Investigations Into Oil and Gas Overtime Violations

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly a quarter of a million people are employed in the oil and gas industry. Investigations performed by the Department of Laborhave ascertained that more than 10,000 of these employees have had their overtime rights violated—and this is only over the course of two years. The DOL expects to discover many more violations as the investigations continue.

The following statement taken from the U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas E. Perez, reiterates the DOL’s position:

“Employers are legally required to pay workers for all hours worked, whether in the international oil industry, as in this case, or a local family-run restaurant, the Labor Department is working to ensure that responsible employers do not experience a competitive disadvantage because they play by the rules.”

The DOL is going to continue monitoring several oil companies where employees have pursued complaints and overtime infraction lawsuits. These investigation results will then be passed to the industry CEOs and courts to help decide settlements and damages for the plaintiffs.

Since the investigations began, the DOL has not only managed to secure back pay for affected employees, but has also coerced several big name oil companies, including Shell, Rigid, Morco Geological, and Motiva to agree to increase training of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) amongst their staff, including:

Managers

Supervisors

Recruiters

Payroll personnel

Human resources personnel

The training will stress the importance of requiring accurate recording and pay for all hours worked with emphasis on pre-and post-shift activities.

Join the Fight to Get Paid for Your Work

If you believe that your employer is scheming, rigging, or intentionally miscalculating your overtime wages, contact us today for a free consultation. Our experience with OT infractions and FLSA violations can help you get the wages you rightfully deserve. Don’t allow your employer to profit from your free labor.

Need more information about legal claims for overtime infractions? Feel free to browse our site to see how our vast experience and knowledge can help you get the settlement you deserve. You’ll not only learn more about your rights and claim options, but you’ll also see how our knowledge and experience can help you get the justice and back pay you deserve.

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